Suns set for National golf title

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Golden Suns tee today at the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf National Championships. This is the Golden Suns’ fifth national championship appearance in six years.

The Suns are coming off a second-place finish at last week’s Central Region Championships. After leading the field in the first and second rounds with cards of 299 and 294, the Suns carded a Round 3 total of 304 and fell slightly behind Great American Conference rival Southwestern Oklahoma State. The Bulldogs went on to win the Central Region title with their total of 893 (+41), four strokes ahead of Tech’s 897 (+45).

The Golden Suns are currently ranked ninth in the nation. The Suns were ranked No. 24 coming into last year’s national championship, where they finished in 11th place. The best national finish in program history came in 2014, when the Suns finished in ninth place.

Peerada Piddon, the GAC Women’s Golfer of the Year, won the individual title at the Regional Championships thanks to her back-to-back one-under-par totals in the first and second rounds. Piddon’s under-par cards were the only ones of the tournament. Piddon is shooting an average of 73.08 this season and is currently ranked 10th in the nation. She has won two tournaments this season and finished in the top 10 a stunning seven out of 12 tournaments.

Jacqueline Klemm, the GAC Freshman of the Year, took fourth place at the regional competition. She has an average of 74.77 strokes and sits at No. 32 in the nation. She has also notched four top 10 finishes in her first year as a Golden Sun.

Pia Nunbhakdi was the third Sun to finish in the top ten regionally, tying for ninth place in last week’s tournament. Nunbhakdi’s average of 75.22 puts her in the No. 64 spot in national rankings. She has finished in the top 10 in half of the Suns’ 12 tournaments.

Sydney Staton, the Suns’ other freshman standout, nabbed a top 20 regional finish with her tie for 19th place in Muskogee. Staton is shooting an average of 76.25 on the season, landing her in the No. 89 spot, and has earned three top 10 finishes in her first season.

Sophomore Allie Weiner, the winner of the GAC Championship individual title, rounds out the Tech roster. Weiner has an average of 78.55 on the season and has finished in the top 10 three times this season.

The championships feature 12 teams and 12 individuals from four different regions, totaling 72 participants. The tournament will consist of both team and individual competition conducted concurrently.

All participants will compete through the entire 72 holes of competition. In the team competition, the low four scores for each team will count in each day’s total score. After the first four rounds, the top eight teams will proceed to head-to-head play.

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The Courier - Your Messenger for the River Valley in Russellville, AR.MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use of or republication of all the local news printed in this newspaper as well as AP news dispatches.